Herb Edelman | |
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Born | Herbert Edelman November 5, 1933 Brooklyn, New York |
Died | July 21, 1996 Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California |
(aged 62)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1963–1995 |
Spouse | Louise Sorel (m. 1964–1970) |
Herbert "Herb" Edelman (November 5, 1933 – July 21, 1996) was an American actor of stage, film and television. He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award for his television work. One of his best remembered roles was as Stanley Zbornak, the ex-husband of Dorothy Zbornak (played by Beatrice Arthur) on the long-running situation comedy, The Golden Girls. He also had a recurring role on the 1980s medical drama St. Elsewhere.
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Before becoming an actor, Edelman studied to become a veterinarian at Cornell University, but left during his first year. After serving in the US Army as an announcer for Armed Forces Radio, he enrolled in Brooklyn College as a Theater student, but eventually dropped out. He later worked as a hotel manager and as a taxicab driver. One of his fares was director Mike Nichols, who in 1963 cast Edelman in his breakthrough Broadway role, as the bewildered telephone repairman in Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park.
Edelman reprised his role in the 1967 film version (starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda), and appeared in the movie versions of Simon's The Odd Couple (1968) and California Suite (1978). He also appeared in an installment of the Japanese movie series Otoko wa Tsurai yo in 1979.
He remains best known for his three decades in television, usually as a co-star, recurring character, or guest star The Golden Girls, (That Girl, Love, American Style, The Streets of San Francisco, Maude, Cannon, Welcome Back, Kotter, Kojak, Fantasy Island, Cagney & Lacey, and MacGyver), but occasionally in a lead role. He starred in the 1976 children's series Big John, Little John, as well as The Good Guys with Bob Denver (Denver's first series after Gilligan's Island), in 1969. He also appeared with Bill Bixby and Valerie Perrine in Bruce Jay Friedman's Steambath, a controversial PBS dramedy, during 1973. From 1984 to 1988, he had a recurring role on St. Elsewhere. Edelman also appeared in ten episodes of Murder, She Wrote between 1984 and 1995; most frequently appearing as NYPD Lieutenant Artie Gelber. His last role was on an episode of Burke's Law.
Edelman was married to soap opera actress Louise Sorel from 1964 to 1970. He was romantically linked with actress Christina Pickles (his co-star on St. Elsewhere), from the mid-1980s until his death.
Edelman died at age 62 of Emphysema.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1967 | In Like Flint | Russian Premier | |
1968 | I Love You, Alice B. Toklas | Murray | Alternative title: Kiss My Butterfly |
1968 | The Odd Couple | Murray | |
1972 | The War Between Men and Women | Howard Mann | |
1973 | The Way We Were | Bill Verso | |
1974 | The Front Page | Schwartz | Credited as Herbert Edelman |
1974 | The Yakuza | Wheat | Alternative title: Brotherhood of the Yakuza |
1979 | Goin' Coconuts | Sid | |
1979 | Tora-san's Dream of Spring | Michael Jordan | 24th entry in the Japanese Otoko wa Tsurai yo series |
1981 | On the Right Track | Sam | |
1984 | Wheels on Meals | Matt Henry | |
1992 | The Naked Truth | Rupert Hess | Credited as Herbert Edelman |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1964 | The Reporter | Benny | 1 episode |
1965 | The Nurses | Marco | 1 episode |
1965 | Honey West | Moody | 1 episode |
1966 | Hey, Landlord | Garvin | 1 episode |
1966 | Occasional Wife | Uncle Harry | 1 episode |
1967 | The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. | Mr. Asterick | 1 episode |
1967 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Seth Swine | 1 episode |
1967 | Accidental Family | Howard | 1 episode |
1967 | The Flying Nun | Albion "Al" Caine | 1 episode |
1971 | The Bill Cosby Show | Mr. Maher | 1 episode |
1971 | Bewitched | Col. Bringham | 1 episode |
1971 | McMillan & Wife | Gregory Constantine | 1 episode |
1971 | Mission: Impossible | Frank Mason | 1 episode |
1972 | Banacek | Joe Taddenhurst | 1 episode |
1972 | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Howard Feinstein | 1 episode |
1972 | Temperatures Rising | Dr. Patterson | 1 episode |
1973 | Ironside | David Wollens | 1 episode |
1973 | The New Dick Van Dyke Show | George Benson | 1 episode |
1973 | The Partridge Family | Darby Willis | 1 episode |
1974 | Hawkins | Lt. Horowitz | 1 episode |
1975 | Happy Days | Burglar | 1 episode |
1975 | Barney Miller | Alan Schuster | 1 episode |
1975 | Medical Center | Brannigan | 1 episode |
1976 | Jigsaw John | Lieutenant Hill | 1 episode |
1976 | Big John Little John | Big John Martin | 13 episodes |
1977 | Blansky's Beauties | Sindu | 1 episode |
1978 | CHiPs | Sanders | 1 episode |
1978 | Chico and the Man | Doctor | 1 episode |
1978 | Charlie's Angels | Joey January | 1 episode |
1981–82 | Strike Force | Commissioner Herb Klein | 19 episodes |
1982–83 | Nine to Five | Harry Nussbaum | 7 episodes |
1984 | Trapper John, M.D. | Dr. Haller | 1 episode |
1984–95 | Murder, She Wrote | Lieutenant Artie Gelber, and others | 10 episodes |
1985 | The Fall Guy | Vargas | 1 episode |
1985 | The Paper Chase | Dr. Arnie Samuels | 1 episode |
1985 | Highway to Heaven | Dr. Cohn | 1 episode |
1985 | Hardcastle and McCormick | Harry Baxter | 1 episode |
1985–92 | The Golden Girls | Stan Zbornak | 26 episodes |
1987 | Matlock | Arthur Rydell | 1 episode |
1988 | Beauty and the Beast | Harold Levinson | 1 episode |
1989 | The Famous Teddy Z | Lassister Fogel | 1 episode |
1989 | Out of This World | Stanley Mansfield | 1 episode |
1989–90 | thirtysomething | Murray Steadman | 2 episodes |
1990 | The Bradys | Gene Dickinson | 2 episodes |
1990 | Knots Landing | Sergeant Levine | 3 episodes |
1992 | Batman: The Animated Series | Stern | 2 episodes |
1993 | The Golden Palace | Stanley Zbornak | 1 episode |
1994 | The Mommies | Therapist | 1 episode |
Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
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1987 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series | The Golden Girls (For episode: "The Stan Who Came To Dinner") |
1988 | The Golden Girls (For episode: "The Audit") |